Alex held her in his arms, raw panic eating his insides. Arianna looked so broken. Her eyes were swollen and she had a nasty gash on her forehead. There were cuts and bruises all over her arms and her feet.
“Please be okay, Ana. Please. I love you.” He held her close and whispered, tears streaming down his eyes. I can’t lose you now, Ana. I can’t lose you. Stay. Please stay.
Some part of her lit up when he said I love you. She tried to raise her hand and touch his face. She opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, darkness engulfed her and she was falling into a bottomless pit.
20
Alex entered the hospital for the second time that day, only this time, he was a lot more scared than he was the first time. He hardly knew what the people around him were doing or saying, and he somehow managed to get Arianna admitted with the help of an officer who had come with them.
He couldn’t help but feel responsible for Arianna. He was with her just before she was kidnapped, and even though he knew her location, he had stayed outside the scene of action until it was too late. That thought almost made his heart stop.
No, no, no, no. Please no. Please let me not be too late. I can’t be too late.
He sat waiting till a doctor came out to give him an update.
“She’s fine. The blow didn’t cause any damage. She’s still unconscious and resting. We’ll be monitoring her closely.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor,” Alex said, surprised to find his eyes tearing up. I am so sorry, Ana, I couldn’t reach you earlier. Please, please be okay.
His phone vibrated with a message from Buzz.
We’re ready to interrogate Brian. You should be there for this.
Alex stood up, his eyes full of fire. He took a step forward, then hesitated. Something pulled him back. I don’t want to leave you and go, Ana. But I want to ensure Brian is behind bars.
When he reached the police station, Buzz had set up an interrogation room with Brian. He nodded to one of the deputies who had helped him get Arianna admitted.
“How is it going?” he asked.
“Not too good. He doesn’t seem to be cracking, no matter what Inspector Hughson is throwing at him. Either he is a pathological liar or he’s insane,” the deputy said, turning his attention back to the interrogation room.
Brian not admitting anything is not going to help anyone. He needs to confess. Alex’s eyes sparkled with an idea. He tapped on the glass. Buzz stopped his line of questioning and looked behind him. A minute later, he had walked out of the room.
“What’s up? How’s Arianna?” he asked, seeing Alex in the room.
“She’s unconscious, but the doctors are optimistic of recovery. This isn’t a good week for her and Sophie.” Thinking about them made his heart clench.
Buzz was about to leave when Alex stopped him.
“Buzz, I have an idea. Why don’t we use Antonio to break Brian? Why don’t we make it look like Franco is the bad guy?” He stopped when he saw Buzz’s raised eyebrows and then comprehension dawned on his face.
“You mean let Antonio tell him the truth and see what happens? That’s a great idea. Maybe he will spill his guts about Franco once he realizes the betrayal.”
Buzz moved out of the room and into the room where Antonio was held.
“Here’s your chance to make it right for your daughters. It’s too late for your son; he will be arrested. But I think you should be given a chance to tell him the truth. You should tell him everything. Maybe then he will not be as hostile to you.”
Antonio’s eyes sparked when he heard this.
“Talk to Niccolo and tell him my story? I would love to have that opportunity.” Antonio was almost in tears.
Just as they were leaving the room, Buzz said, “Franco drove in a lot of wedges between you and Niccolo. Get him to confess everything about the Moretti so we can take them down. and it will be redemption for you and him.”
Antonio gave an emotional nod and walked in the room.
Even though Brian was handcuffed, he stood up in anger when he saw Antonio enter.
“What is he doing here?” he questioned the Sheriff. “I have nothing to say to the man who abandoned me when I was a baby for no fault of mine.”
“Niccolo, please listen to me. Son…” Antonio pleaded.
“I am not your son, and my name is Brian.” There was fire in Brian’s eyes.
“Alright, Brian, please listen to me and my story, then decide if you want me to go away from your life and I will. No questions asked.”
Brian fumed and sat down, looking away from Antonio.
Antonio repeated his story about Lucia. He spoke in a lot of detail about how he raised his son and his pride for him. He even confessed his role in helping Franco with his jobs. This was no holds barred and Antonio held nothing back. There were tears in his eyes when he finished. Brian stared at him, dumbfounded, when he finished.
“Did you hear?” Buzz spoke quietly, breaking the somber mood in the room. “Your father loves you. Franco has always been someone who didn’t want you in his life. You were a loose end. Look at what he did to your mother; she was a loose end and he cut her out of his life. He wanted you to sink Antonio, or maybe sink yourself. Still think you want to defend a man who has no interest in you? He’s been playing you all along.” Buzz’s words struck deep.
“Now’s the time to confess, my boy.” the Sheriff added.
Brian looked around, crazed. As Buzz’s point hit the mark, his eyes became dim. His shoulders drooped and he nodded.
“Niccolo, son. Please forgive me. I was a coward five years back. I’m not a coward now. I’m going to transfer the winery to you. I want you in my life.” Antonio seized Brian’s hands.
Brian shook his head. “It’s too late, Papa. It’s too late. I will be going to prison. I committed fraud, money laundering, even assaulted my sisters. I obstructed justice. No jury can find me innocent. But, will you wait for me? We will begin our life together when I am out of prison.”
Antonio’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes. Yes, my son. Yes, Brian.”
“No, Papa. Niccolo. I am your Niccolo.”
Brian looked at the Sheriff. “Please give me a paper and pen. I want to confess.”
Antonio was in tears when he walked out. Alex came out to see him sobbing.
“Thank you, Inspector. Thank you for healing everything with my son.” Buzz stared at him, feeling disgusted. Alex shook his head. He would never understand Antonio, and he was not going to try.
“That’s a fine job done on this one, Inspector.” The Sheriff shook hands with Buzz. “Don’t let them hear me say this, but it was a real pleasure working with you. I hope we never have to meet again. Will you be processing these arrests?”
“I’ve called it in and the FBI will be in to book Brian. His testimony will help us get to Franco as well. Hopefully there are no data leaks anymore.” He looked at Alex, who laughed.
The Sheriff looked at Antonio. The man looked upbeat, and even a little happy. He nodded to his deputy, who went to Antonio and placed handcuffs on him. Antonio looked surprised.
“Antonio Belmonte, you’re under arrest for money laundering. I will now read you your rights.” The deputy moved Antonio to a cell.
Buzz and Alex walked outside.
“Thank you so much for your help, Buzz. This whole operation would not have been possible without you and your support.” Alex had a look of gratitude on his face.
“Alex, be grateful you mentioned everything to me at the right time. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened.”
Alex couldn’t talk. Everything had worked out in such a way that Arianna was safe. If one of these factors had not happened, who knows what would have. That thought sobered him up.
He hugged Buzz. He was distracted by his phone ringing. His heart raced when he saw it was an unknown number. Brian is in jail. Who can it be?
“Hi, is this Alex Garner? I’m calling from the hospital. You wanted an update
on Arianna Belmonte? She just woke up now and gave us your name. Can you come in?”
Alex’s heart leapt. His Arianna was awake!
“Buzz, it’s the hospital. She’s awake. She’s awake.” Alex looked around in wonder.
“Well, don’t stick around here, go get her.” Buzz gave him a gentle shove. Alex nodded, smiled, and moved towards his car.
I’m coming for you, Ana. I’m coming.
21
Arianna tried hard to move her body, but she couldn’t. How did I get here? Where’s Alex? Her mind whirred with these thoughts. She had informed the hospital, but it had been a while since then and Alex was still not here. Her heart beat fast and, suddenly, all the machines started beeping. Oh, I should not do that. My heartbeat will reveal everything.
She heard a knocking on the door, and then Alex peeped in. A tired smile appeared on Arianna’s face. He’s here.
“Hey baby, how are you feeling?” Alex moved beside her.
“Banged up,” Arianna croaked. Her throat felt dry. Alex noticed and poured her a glass of water. He held it to her lips, and she took a few sips and smiled.
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” Alex said, softly planting a kiss on her lips.
“What happened?” she said.
“Brian confessed, and we broke through your father too. I have bad news for you, though,” Alex said, his face falling.
“What, what?” The monitors started beeping. Thinking about this was worrying her.
“Relax, love. There will be a lot of time for us to do that later on, when you’re okay. Talking about this will make you excited and hamper your healing.”
Arianna frowned. “Tell me.” Her voice came out all raspy.
“They arrested Antonio for his role in money laundering. Please don’t worry. I’ll get you legal counsel if you’re planning to contest, and we can figure something out.”
“No, he can fight his own battles,” she whispered. “I can’t talk. Water.”
Alex held the glass to her lips, and she sipped. Looking at her so tired and broken, Alex felt emotional.
“Arianna, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I should have come sooner. I should have stopped you when you went outside the station,” he said, sounding broken.
“No, it is not your fault. It is Brian’s, and I hope you got him.” Alex nodded. “Good,” she said.
A nurse popped her head inside.
“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to leave. The patient is getting very excited. It is not good for recovery.”
Alex nodded. Just as he was getting up, Arianna reached out for his hand. Alex’s heart almost stopped. He wanted to hold her in his arms and crush her, but she looked so fragile on the hospital bed, he didn’t dare to touch her.
Just as he was leaving, he turned to Arianna. She looked at him.
“Ana, I love you,” he said and walked out of the room as the monitors started beeping again.
Two Weeks Later…
Alex helped a recovering Sophie rest at home. Arianna was fixing her a snack.
“Thank you, Alex.” Sophie looked at him with grateful eyes.
“No problem. So, are you sure you’ll be fine? I’m going to take Arianna out to dinner.”
Sophie nodded. “Go, go. It’ll do her good. She hated being cooped here. And Alex?” He stopped when she called his name. He looked at Sophie fondly.
“Thank you.”
“What for?” Alex was surprised.
“For taking care of my sister.” Sophie grunted as she pulled herself up.
A knock sounded on the door. Alex opened it to find a familiar face.
“Wait, I know you. You’re Ana’s doctor. What are you doing here?”
“I’m Gerald Smith. I, uh, came to check on Sophie. Just to see if she was doing well. What with Antonio fighting his case in court, she must be stressed.” He flushed. Alex raised his eyebrows and opened the door to let him in. He entered the living room. Sophie looked at him and blushed a fiery red.
“Alex, who’s at the door? Ooh, we have a guest. Hello, Doctor Smith. How come you’re visiting here?” she said.
“I, uh, am just making my daily calls and thought I should check in on Sophie.” Sophie deliberately looked away when Arianna was talking to her.
Arianna smirked, seeing the chemistry between the two. She looked at Alex, who pointed at the door.
She nodded.
“Well, I’m leaving right now. Doctor Smith, there’s some freshly baked foccacia on the table, please do enjoy it.” She nodded at Sophie, and she and Alex walked out to his car.
“I think that doctor likes Sophie,” Alex said as he buckled his seatbelt.
“It’s none of our business. Tell me, where are we going for dinner?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise. Trust me,” Alex said.
“It’s not in another park, right?” Arianna laughed, reminding him about their failed date. She quickly sobered. That was one day before this whole mess started. Noticing her grim mood, Alex thought hard about something to make her laugh.
“Oh man, you got me. You got me. I was thinking about a night walk in the park, but now that you mention it, I’ll take you to the Bistro.”
Arianna nodded distractedly, and Alex drove around to the community park. He drove inside to the spot where he had met Arianna.
“Wait a minute, this is not the Bistro.” Arianna just noticed the change of scenery.
“Oh, you didn’t notice so far? Not good, Ms. Belmonte.” Alex shook his head solemnly.
“Why, you little. I’m hungry; where are we and what are we eating?”
Alex walked out of the car and set up a picnic on a blanket. It was a clear St. Helena summer night and his heart was racing.
Arianna seated herself and marveled at the view. St. Helena looked even more beautiful under moonlight. Isn’t this the spot where we met this time around? She turned around to find Alex stroking her hand. She winked at him.
“Arianna,” he said, his voice raspy.
“I promised you, at this very spot, to come back and start our life together. After everything we’ve been through, I cannot, and I assure you, I cannot think of a forever without you. Look, I know we live different lives in different cities, but I want to make it work. I don’t know how we will, and what we will do…”
Arianna jumped into his arms and kissed him deep. He had memorized a few more lines but now they were all cleaned out from his mind. His hand roamed down her back and in her hair. His fingers felt that small lump that had stayed after the Brian incident, and he swallowed. It took him a lot of control to not let these urges overpower him, and he looked at beautiful Arianna in front of him.
“Yes, yes, yes! Let’s make it work. We will figure things out. Shift and shuttle, we’ll figure it out,” she said, kissing him softly on his lips.
“This time, I’m not letting you go. I’m not letting life come in between. I love you, Ana,” he whispered.
“I love you too, Alex. I love you. Nothing will come in between.” She gently kissed his hands.
Alex couldn’t resist. He kissed her deep. His kisses turned urgent and he stroked her arms, trying to show her every bit of the love he felt for her.
“Wait, Alex.” He stopped and looked at her, puzzled.
“Promise me you’re going to be mine, and I am going to be yours. Forever.” The stubborn kid in Arianna refused to let the moment pass.
Alex laughed. They were not pros at promises. They’d not kept the most important one, and they almost didn’t have each other in their life. Thankfully, everything was fine now. They didn’t have a happily ever after as such right now, but they had forever to think it through. One thing he knew, he couldn’t live without her. She was his partner, through and through. For now, though, he promised. Because this was one he intended to keep. No matter what happened.
“I promise you. I promise you us and togetherness. Forever.” He kissed her on her lips.
Afterword
&nbs
p; To be honest, I had never thought this book was possible. I wrote it almost two weeks before my wedding, in the middle of all the wedding preparations. And somehow, Alex and Arianna’s story gripped me. They don’t have a happily ever after (yet), but they’re together, and at the end of the day, that’s what counts.
This is my first attempt at writing a thriller and I absolutely enjoyed it. I love reading fast paced books and now, I managed to write one as well.
Writing is so personal and intuitive. I could feel a deeper connection to my thoughts when I wrote this. Bringing characters to life is one of the most rewarding parts of being an author and with this book, I’ve enjoyed the process the most. Writing while I was planning for my wedding was also an entirely new experience. It was completely see saw, I didn’t know if it would work out, and it is so rewarding that it did.
Thank you so much for picking this book. I hope you enjoy it.
* * *
Lots of Love,
Natalie
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family, at the outset, for giving me peace of mind and time to write this. It is their encouragement and faith that pushes me along.
None of this would be possible without my husband. He’s been a rock, even when he didn’t know what I was writing. I also have to thank him for the beautiful cover.
My beta reader, Becky Muth was invaluable in her comments and support. My proofreader Jasmine did a fantastic job with the proofing, even when I was in a bit of a hurry.
I owe my plotting clarity to Heather Cardona. My writing wouldn’t have improved had it not been for Rebecca Hamilton’s courses. Thank you so much for your help.
Lastly, this book would not have been possible without you, the reader. Thank you for being so amazing. You make me want to write more stories.
About the Author
Natalie is a dreamer. She always had stories in her mind until one day she realized, she could also write them. There are innumerable stories in every corner of the mind, and writing is Natalie's way of sharing it with everyone. After several years (13 to be precise) of dreaming to be an author, Natalie finally took the plunge into writing.
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